RWBY Ink
by AnotherCriticalHit
Summary: Regulus Sterling, huntsman in training, and an author. Attending the prestigious Beacon Academy, Regulus will make new friends, new enemies, and do regular huntsman in training things. At least that was what he planned to do. With a shadow looming over in the horizon, will one teenager be enough to tip the scales? (Pairings have not been decided yet.)
1. Chapter 1: Silver Lion

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey guys, it's me Regulus. I'll keep this brief, this is my first fanfiction, and any reviews would be appreciated. That being said, enjoy!**

Chapter 1

 **Silver Lion**

… _sprinting with abandon, charging straight through friend and foe as if they weren't even there. He ran from his enemies, from his companions, from his past, from himself._ Regulus Sterling capped his pen, and closed his leather bound book, stowing it in his black cloak embroidered with gold and silver. Currently, he sat on an airship headed towards the prestigious Beacon Academy, the finest of the four hunter academies. Standing up, Regulus stretched, popping a few joints.

"...sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" Regulus looked over to see a girl with wild blond hair crushing the life out of a smaller girl. He winced. _That's gotta hurt._

"Please stop," the girl gasped, fighting for breath.

She released the other girl. "But I'm so proud of you!" she said, bouncing on her toes. Regules chuckled, his own sister had acted the exact same way when he left for Beacon. He turned his attention to the scroll display playing on the walls of the airship.

"Yesterday, there was an armed dust robbery in downtown Vale. The shop targeted was 'From Dust Til Dawn.' Security camera footage shows that the robbery was stopped by a teenage girl, who was later seen with Headmaster Ozpin, making it highly likely she was a student at Beacon." Regulus looked at the footage of the robbery. The girl… He looked over to the two sisters, who were still horsing around. _It couldn't be._ She was the same build, short and slim. She had the same black hair, tinted with red on the tips, and she wore the same clothes. No doubt about it. She was the one who stopped the robbery.

The screen changed to a mugshot of an orange haired man with a cocky grin plastered on his face. "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa." The mugshot changed to a reporter, presumably the aforementioned Lisa, with a photo of animal-eared demonstrators holding signs that wrote, "We Are Not Animals!"

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." Regulus frowned. _What happened to the old Fang._ "The once peaceful organization has now disrupted…"

She was cut off and replaced by a holographic projection of a woman. With her white blouse, pencil skirt, and glasses, there was little doubt in Altair's mind that she was a teacher.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon," she said.

"Who's that?" the blonde asked. Regulus inwardly groaned. _Really?_ It seems she really liked hearing her own voice.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh."

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy," Glynda continued having shown no sign of hearing the blonde. It was probably a recording they played every year. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With the short speech, she the hologram faded out, revealing a stunning view of the kingdom of Vale. Regulus remained in his seat while others flocked to the windows. _Peace._ He nearly laughed out loud. Like there was ever peace in the world of Remnant. It didn't help that thirty seconds prior, the news had been talking about a robbery and a protest gone violent.

From his right, a young man groaned, hunched over. _He's going to hurl._ Unable to find a trash can, he threw up on the floor. Regulus walked over to him, careful to avoid stepping in the puddle of vomit. The blonde sister, however, wasn't as careful, getting a bit of vomit on a brown boot.

"You okay?" Regulus asked the boy. His eyes seemed to bug out, as his cheeks bulged a bit. "Okay, I'll take that as a no."

Finally, the airship landed at their destination. Stumbling out of the airship, the blonde boy ran to the nearest trash can, and started emptying the contents of his stomach once again.

"Just let it out," said Regulus, patting him on the back. When he was done retching, he stood up, facing Regulus as if nothing had happened. "My name's Jaune Arc," he said, extending a hand. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Regulus shook his hand. "Regulus Sterling, at your service." He smirked, wondering whether or not Jaune would take his over the top greeting seriously. He did.

"Damn it, I should have thought of that," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Regulus laughed. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Spinning around, he saw the same petite girl from the airship, standing amidst a load of scattered briefcases. She was being yelled at by… _Is that Weiss Schnee, the heiress of the Schnee dust company?_ A vomiting knight, a teenage vigilante, and the heiress of the world's largest corporation. This year is going to be interesting. The vigilante looked pretty overwhelmed. Regulus moved to step in, someone already had.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" yelled the vigilante, finally fed up with the haughty heiress.

"It's heiress, actually." A girl wearing a black bow approached the bickering girls, holding a bottle of dust. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally! Some recognition!" Regulus shook his head, the egos of the Schnees knew no bounds.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Regulus grinned. Someone had to kick her off her high horse.

""Wha- How dare you- The nerve of... Ugh!" Grabbing the dust bottle, she stormed off as her helpers gather her luggage.

"Nice job on kicking her down a notch," said Regulus, but when he turned to face the girl with the bow, she had already left.

The two boys walked over to the little vigilante who had collapsed in frustration. Jaune extended his hand, helping her up. "Hey... I'm Jaune," he said.

"Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?" she responded, taking his hand.

"Hey, motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Jaune crossed his arms defensively.

She laughed. "Well, I'm Ruby."

"The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." _Oh Monty, he had probably rehearsed this._

"Do they," Ruby asked skeptically.

"They will. Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that... Never mind."

"You've already told her your name," Regulus added dryly. Jaune's face colored in embarrassment. Regulus turned towards Ruby. "The name's Regulus Sterling," he said, parodying Jaune's introduction. "Long, sophisticated, ladies love it." He did a small bow, and flourishing his cloak for dramatic effect.

Ruby giggled as Jaune's face grew redder after Regulus' teasing. "Nice to meet you Regulus." Ruby did a double take. "Your eyes…"

Regulus grinned, "Gold and silver, cool right? Your eyes are pretty special too."

"Really?" she asked.

"Have you heard of the silver eyed warriors?" responded Regulus.

"Nope."

"Well that's long story for another time."

An awkward silence fell upon the group as the conversation stopped to a standstill.

Ruby looked around for a bit. "So… I've got this thing." She reached behind her waist, unfolding a massive red and black scythe, causing Jaune to jump back.

"Whoa! Is that a scythe?" asked Jaune.

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle." Ruby rattled off quickly.

"A wha...?" Jaune was dumbfounded.

She pulled back the bolt on her weapon, cocking it. "It's also a gun."

Regulus whistled in appreciation. "Did you make this yourself?

Ruby's eyes lit up in excitement. "Yeah, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons." She looked over to Jaune. "So what've you got?"

"Oh! I, uh..." Jaune paused, unsheathing his sword. "I got this sword, and a shield. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war. It's kinda a family heirloom." Taking his scabbard, he expanded it to form a white shield.

Ruby touched the shield, examining it. "Well, I like the classics. What do they do?"

Jaune fumbled with the shield as it expanded and retracted, nearly dropping it, before clipping it back on his belt. "The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away..."

"But... wouldn't it weigh the same?"

"I think what he meant was that he could fold it to conserve space," Regulus interjected. Jaune shot him a grateful glance.

"What do you have?" Jaune asked.

"Me? Well I have this." Regulus reached inside of his cloak to bring out his leather bound book.

"Not what I was expecting," admitted Ruby. "What does it do?"

Regulus smirked, putting it away. "That's a surprise for later."

"Aww," both Jaune and Ruby whined.

"Now, shouldn't we be going somewhere?"


	2. Chapter 2: Fairy Tale Protagonist

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey guys, I'm back with the second chapter of RWBY Ink. Don't really know what else to say here… welp, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

 **Fairy Tale Protagonist**

Ruby, Jaune, and Regulus made it to the auditorium on time… somehow. The place was packed with students, all of them, chatting, yelling, fooling around. It made Regulus' head hurt. He liked peace and quiet. He could think without distractions. In this room, that was impossible.

"Ruby, over here, I saved you a spot!" someone screamed. Looking around, Regulus spotted a girl waving. It was the blonde on the airship. _Of course._

"Oh, hey, I-I gotta go. I'll see you guys after the ceremony." Ruby looked slightly apologetic as she walked away to join the blonde.

"I'm gonna go too," Regulus said, looking over his shoulder as he left to find his way to the edge of the room. It was bound to be more quiet there.

"Hey, wait." Jaune sighed, shoulders drooping. "Great. Where am I supposed to find nice, quirky people to talk to."

Regulus sighed for an entirely different reason. At the fringes of the room, the roar of conversation was dulled to a hum. Looking around, he saw a few people also seeking the solace of relative quiet. Regulus liked quiet, but he was by no means an isolationist. There was the girl with the bow from earlier, but she was glaring at anyone coming within a ten foot radius of her. There was a girl wearing heavy, black armor fringed with orange. She sharpening the blade of her giant war axe. Honestly, Regulus was slightly intimidated, so he avoided talking to her. Standing to the left of Regulus was a tall faunus sporting antlers on his head. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, a certain, bro-y air radiating around him.

"Hey, I'm Regulus," Regulus said extending his hand.

"Sup, the name's Jaden," the boy responded, shaking his hand in a vice grip. "How're you doing?"

"Fine," Regulus answered. "A guy threw up in my airship, and a girl blew a hole in the middle of the courtyard."

"Damn," said Jaden chuckling.

"Ahem."

Several hundred eyes turned to the stage of the auditorium, where the eccentric Professor Ozpin now stood.

"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Regulus nodded his head in agreement. Wasted energy indeed. An average of seventy five percent of students either chicken out on initiation, or they die, slaughtered by the grimm. Some pass out of sheer luck, only to drop out when they find out they would be going on actual missions.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed," said Glynda curtly. She somehow managed to seem even more strict and no-nonsense than on her recording back on the airship. Regulus made a mental not not to cross her.

Regulus sat on his sleeping bag against the edge of the room, writing. Or at least trying to write. He was facing the same problem as in the auditorium. Who had thought of the brilliant idea to cram hundreds of hormone fueled teens into one room? A few guys were shirtless, wearing only their pajama pants, and flexing in an attempt to impress the girls. Granted, most of them were at least decently well built. You couldn't fight monsters with noodly arms. Then there was Jaune. _Is he wearing a footie pajama?_ Regulus himself was dressed in black pajama pants, and a simple white shirt.

He gave up trying to write. It was like trying to break a concrete wall with a straw. Carefully putting away his book and pen, Regulus rolled over, looking at Ruby and the blonde who were sleeping close by.

"What are you writing?" he asked Ruby.

Ruby jumped, looking around in surprise until she saw Regulus. "Oh hey Regulus, I'm writing letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aw, that's so cute," exclaimed the blonde. Ruby threw a pillow at her, hitting her right in the face.

"And this is my sister Yang," she said, nodding her head toward her the blonde.

"Hey," Yang winked seductively. _Oh boy._

Regulus ignored the wink. "My name's Regulus."

Ruby sighed. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"What about Regulus? He seems pretty cool," said Yang, motioning to the teen. He gave a meek wave. "And Jaune? He's... nice. There you go. Plus two friends. That's a two hundred percent increase."

Ruby flipped onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as at least two negative friends. Back to zero…"

"There's no such things as negative friends, you just made two friends and one enemy," comforted Ruby's elder sister. Regulus meekly waved again. He was feeling kind of ignored. Ruby threw another pillow in her face. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."

The soft sound of a match lighting drew the trio's attention.

The girl with the bow from earlier was sitting against the wall with a candelabra lighting her book. To Regulus, it looked like a fire hazard.

"That girl…" said Ruby, trailing off.

"You know her?" Yang asked, puzzled.

"She was the one who roasted the heiress this morning," said Regulus, butting in with a slight smile. "We should talk to her." Regulus stood up, walking towards the girl.

"You'll go too," declared Yang, dragging her sister by the arm.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Ruby struggled unsuccessfully against Yang's iron grip.

"Hello~," said Yang in a singsong voice. "I believe you two may know each other?"

The girl looked up from her book with an annoyed expression. "Aren't you... that girl that exploded?"

"Uh, yeah. My name's Ruby." Ruby extended her hand, but it was ignored. "...but you can just call me Crater…" She smiled awkwardly, trailing off. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay," she replied curtly, looking back into her book. She clearly did not want to talk.

"What are you doing?" whispered Yang.

"I don't know, help me," Ruby whispered back. The girl could probably hear their whispering.

"So... What's your name?" Yang asked the girl.

She sighed, annoyed. "Blake."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister, and this is Regulus…" Regulus waved for the third time. Yang trailed off for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I like your bow."

"Thanks." She was becoming more and more irritated.

"It goes great with your... pajamas," Yang said again, unable to take a hint.

"Right…"

"Nice night, don't you think?" At this point, even Regulus was getting annoyed.

"Yes, it's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book." The sisters showed no sign of leaving. "That I will continue to read." They continued standing there. "As soon as you leave," she finished, finally snapping.

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause," Yang said to her sister.

"Which book is it?" Regulus sat beside the girl. She slightly scooted further from him.

"Huh?" She looked surprised.

"What's your book called," reiterated Regulus.

"Well it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body," she said, her eyes slightly lighting up. It seems like she really liked books.

"Ah, _The Man With Two Souls,"_ said Regulus, nodding his head. "What do you think of it?"

"I think it's written wonderfully. The author addresses many of the problems we have now in society, while also making it entertaining to read." Blake's eyes were fixed on Regulus now. "I would love to discuss some things with the author but…"

"Nobody knows who the author is," Regulus cut in. Blake nodded.

"You know who the author is don't you?" she asked. Regulus looked around furtively. Nobody except for the sisters were in earshot. Waving his arms, he motioned at them to gather around. Yang and Ruby huddled close, intrigued. Through her cold exterior, Blake was practically drooling with anticipation.

"I'm the author," he whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" screamed Ruby incredulously.

"Shh." Regulus brought his index finger in front of his lips. Ruby sheepishly covered her mouth with a hand.

"What in the world is going on over here? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?" _Dear Monty, it's the Schnee._

"I'm going to go," said Regulus, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. Without waiting for a response, he dashed back to his sleeping bag. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her right now.

Weiss yelled at the other girls, not noticing that she made more of a ruckus than the two sisters, before Blake blew out her candelabra, plunging the room into darkness. The girls, realizing how late it was, silently returned to their sleeping bags.

Ruby turned in her sleeping bag, facing Regulus. " I love books you know, Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

Regulus chuckled darkly. "You want to live happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves," she answered. It was rather poetic to Regulus.

"The real world isn't like some fairy tale," cautioned Regulus, he didn't want the innocent girl to turn disillusioned later in life.

"Well, that's why we're here. To make the world better." She was so innocent, so optimistic. So much like a fairy tale protagonist. Regulus was slightly jealous.

"Alright, goodnight Ruby," he said.

"Goodnight Regulus," she answered, turning over.


	3. Chapter 3: On the Fly

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey guys, here's the third chapter of RWBY Ink. I wanted to thank Xera Stark for taking time out his life to take a look at my story and leave a wonderfully helpful review. I highly recommend reading his story, XSRA's Flame. Oh, another thing, if you're following the story, I just wanted to warn you that the frequent updating that I'm doing is only because of an initial spike of creativity. I probably won't update as often as I'm doing now. With that out of the way, enjoy!**

Chapter 3

 **On the Fly**

A beam of light shined through the windows, and directly onto Regulus' face. Groaning, he sat up rubbing his eyes. Regulus checked his watch. Five-thirty in the morning. He groaned again. Regulus hated sleeping bags with a passion. They were too constricting and too hot. His hip ached from prolonged contact with the hardwood floor. Looking over to the girls, Regulus saw that Ruby and Yang were still asleep. Ruby had curled up in her sleeping bag, and Yang laid sprawled out over her's. He chuckled at the contrast between the two siblings. Blake however, was nowhere to be seen. Sifting through his pack, Regulus grabbed his clothes and toiletries, and walked over to the bathroom to change.

"...been at Beacon for a full twenty-four hours! Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything, I mean, you're the perfect student and I'm... well, I'm me. But it's just crazy, you know?" A pink and white clad girl was energetically chatting away to her mellow looking companion.

Regulus gingerly tapped her on the shoulder. "Um… isn't this the guy's bathroom?"

"Hi, I'm Nora!" She spun around yelling, causing Regulus to flinch. He could swear that his heart stopped for a moment. She threw her arms up excitedly, also throwing her toothbrush and toothpaste in the air. "Whoopsie, I'm just sooo used to doing everything with Ren you know, eating pancakes, studying, eating pancakes, sleeping..."

"Nora…" The mellow boy said in a slightly tilting tone. He didn't even turn around to look at her.

"Okay," she chirped, grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste of the air. Faster than lightning, she zoomed out of the room.

Regulus took the sink next to Ren. "Uh…hi, my name's Regulus."

The boy rinsed and spit. "Ren," he replied as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Ren was probably was used to the, in Regulus' opinion, slightly insane girl. Not that Regulus had anything against insanity. There's an extremely blurred line between insanity and genius. "Nice to meet you Regulus." Stowing away his toothbrush and toothpaste, Ren calmly walked out the door to wait for Nora.

Shrugging, Regulus took out his own toothbrush and toothpaste and began brushing his teeth. _Today's initiation. I wonder what we'll have to do. Sparring matches? A written test?_ It probably wasn't those, that wouldn't cause the majority of initiates to drop out. _What would we have to do?_

Finished with brushing his teeth, Regulus changed into his combat attire. He donned black dress pants, a pristine white dress shirt, and a tuxedo vest with tailcoats. Similar to his cloak, the tuxedo vest was also embroidered with gold and silver. Looking in the mirror, Regulus flattened any stray tufts of black hair, and threw on his ever present black cloak. _Perfect._ If you were going to fight monsters, might as well look classy while doing it.

Making his way out of the bathroom, Regulus was met with an influx of students making their way to the bathrooms. Regulus checked his watch. Six fifteen. Looks like there is a lot of morning people here. _Ugh, morning people._ He weaved through the crowd of students, making his way to his sleeping bag.

When he got there, he was surprised to see that Ruby and Yang's sleeping bags were empty. He had pegged them as people who would sleep in. _Oh well._ Regulus packed his sleeping bag by his lonesome. At least he tried to. No matter how tightly he rolled it, it wouldn't fit in the bag. Just another reason why Regulus hated sleeping bags.

"Did you hear, apparently we're forming teams." Regulus looked up curious. All around, people were whispering to each other, the word "teams" being repeated over and over again. _Teams… that would be pretty cool._ It would be just like in adventure novels.

Finally successfully packing his sleeping bag, Regulus had breakfast and went to his locker.

"Hey Regulus." Ruby waved enthusiastically, beckoning him closer.

"Morning Ruby, Yang." He nodded towards the two girls, punching in the code to his locker.

Lilac eyes scanned across Regulus' attire. "Morning hot stuff," purred Yang, sending a shiver down Regulus' back, and freezing him to the spot.

"Yang, could you not." The young reaper pouted, arms akimbo. "You're making this weird."

With her eyes still fixated on Regulus, Yang put a hand over her… ample chest in mock indignation, uttering an exaggerated gasp. "Ruby, what are you insinuating?"

"I'm insinuating that you're flirting with Regulus, and it's making me very uncomfortable." Ruby glared playfully at her older sister.

Undeterred, Yang sent another sultry wink towards Regulus before finally relenting. Quickly looking away, Regulus busied himself with taking out a few essentials from his locker.

"Someone's awfully chipper this morning," commented the blonde brawler.

"Yep, no more awkward small talk or "getting-to-know-you" stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." Ruby lovingly stroked her sniper scythe, sighing happily.

"Remember Ruby, hunters out in the field usually work in teams." Regulus adopted a lecturing tone, placing his left hand on his hip, and pointing his right index finger at Ruby. "If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."

Ruby swatted his hand aside. "You sound like my dad," she said, placing her beloved weapon in her locker, and mimicking Regulus' stance. "Okay, first of all, what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk." She placed her arms on her hips triumphantly. It took every shred of self control Regulus had to not break down laughing.

"But what about when we form teams?" Yang asked, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Um, I don't know," said Ruby, shifting around nervously. "I-I'll just be on your team or something."

"Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?" It was Yang's turn to be nervous, as she brought her mass of golden hair around her shoulder, and started messing with it.

"Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as your dear little sister?" Regulus grinned, finally getting his revenge on Yang for embarrassing him.

"What? No, of course I do." Yang responded indignantly, "I just thought... I don't know, maybe it would help her... break out of her shell."

"What the- I don't need to break out of my shell," Ruby was every bit as indignant as Yang. "That's absolutely-"

"Ridiculous!" Jaune, holding a map, walked in between the sisters, oblivious to the fact that he had just interrupted them. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday, I would've remembered having to count that high. Why does this have to happen today?"

Regulus' attention was drawn towards Jaune, as he walked around the locker room. _Poor gu- Wait, is that Pyrrha Nikos?_ There was no mistaking it. There was the mistralian champion, being hounded on by the Schnee.

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself." Weiss' demeanor oozed of haughtiness, like she was the only one worthy of even talking to Pyrrha.

"Hmm... I'm not quite sure," Pyrrha responded politely, clutching her left elbow. "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together," Weiss suggested. No, not suggested. Demanded was a more appropriate verb. _This woman._

"Well, that sounds grand." _Poor girl._ This was exactly the reason why Regulus had chosen to keep his identity a secret when publishing his books.

"Great." An evil smile spread across Weiss' face. His dislike for the girl was mounting higher and higher by the moment.

"You know what else is great? Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." Regulus chuckled, leaving Jaune to his antics, and holstering a gold pistol sword, and a silver pistol sword.

"Where did those come from?" asked Ruby, poking at the gold pistol sword. "I thought you said that your book was your weapon."

"My book is my weapon," Regulus cryptically replied, a mysterious grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, so you store your pistols in your book." Ruby nodded knowingly.

"Not quite." Regulus' grin spread even further as Ruby's head tilted in confusion.

Suddenly, the speakers overhead crackled to life. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation?" The voice on the speakers belonged to Glynda. "Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"Well, let's go." Double checking all of his gear, Regulus made his way over to the exit with the sisters. He was greeted by the sight of Jaune pinned to a locker by a red and gold spear.

"It was nice meeting you," called Pyrrha apologetically as she grabbed her spear, freeing Jaune.

He slumped against the locker. "Likewise."

"Having some trouble there, lady-killer?" Yang patted Jaune on the shoulder sympathetically.

"I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?" He slumped against the locker even further.

"Maybe you were going for the wrong lady." Regulus extended his hand, helping Jaune up. Jaune only groaned in response. "Come on buddy, let's go."

Ozpin stood in front of the remaining initiates on the Beacon Cliff holding a mug of coffee in one hand, and his other hand rested on his back. His perceptive brown eyes flitted from initiate to initiate. A total of thirty two young men and women stood on the launch pads. Thirty two out of the initial two hundred twenty students accepted. He could only hope that the quality of the students made up for their quantity.

Ozpin took a sip of his beloved coffee before addressing the students. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Regulus shifted atop his silver tile excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Clutching a tablet to her chest, Glynda stepped in to speak. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…" She stopped for dramatic effect, flawlessly drawing the attention of every teen today. "Today."

Ruby stood petrified, each and every muscle in her body tensed up. "What? No…"

Ozpin continued speaking. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin paused to take a sip of coffee. Regulus swore he could see a small smirk on the enigmatic professor's lips. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?" screamed Ruby, adopting a indignant stance.

Regulus on the other hand crossed his hands and nodded slowly, smiling. The was a beauty to Ozpin's chaos. Like he was letting the threads of destiny tie the teams together. It was rather poetic really.

Ignoring Ruby, Ozpin continued his speech. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune nervously raised his hand, trembling slightly. "Yeah, um, sir?"

Ozpin had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really there. He glazed over Jaune's raised hand. "Good, now, take your positions." Each initiate, except for Jaune and Regulus crouched, taking a low stance.

"Oh Monty…" Regulus laughed nervously.

"Do you not have a landing strategy?" From her stance, Ruby turned her head to look at Regulus, surprise in her eyes.

"I do, it's called 'not getting dropped from large heights.'" Regulus mimicked Ruby's stance. "I'll just come up with something on the fly."

The first of the initiates was flung into the air from the springboard. He screamed, flailing through the air, before landing with a sickening crunch. His screams were cut short. Everyone else was too focused on preparing their landing strategy to see the unfortunate teen. What the… his aura should have protected him. The second initiate immediately stepped off the springboard before turning violently sick. The edge of the springboard tore a small gash in his calf. His aura should have absorbed that hit. _What is going on?_ Regulus took a second look at their gear. At least half of them carried a simple weapon without a transformation like Jaune's. _Did they sneak their way into Beacon?_

The line of springboards advanced, launching the initiates into the air. Weiss was launched, then a boy with a fohawk, then Nora, then Ren, then an armored brute. Yang put on a pair of aviators, before being launched with a loud whoop, before Ruby was launched. Regulus heard the shifting of gears under his own launch pad, and braced himself.

Suddenly, he was flying through the air. _Ten seconds_. He watched the others' landing strategies, hoping to find one that would work. Weiss' involved using her semblance, which was out of the question for Regulus. _Eight seconds_. Nora used her massive hammer, slamming it into trees to slow her down. Also out of the question for Regulus. He didn't have a heavy weapon. _Six seconds_. The brute simply crashed into the forest, letting his aura absorb the impact. Viable, but not ideal. _Four seconds._ Ruby used the recoil from her sniper scythe to slow her down. Regulus' pistol swords didn't have too much recoil. That strategy wouldn't work. _Two seconds._ Ren dug his weapons into the trunk of a tree, letting him safely corkscrew around the tree, and land on the forest floor. _Yes, that's it, that strategy would work._

Unholstering his weapons, Regulus transformed them into sword form, and switched to a backhand grip. Like Ren, he dug his swords into the trunk of the tree. Regulus' arms screamed in agony as he corkscrewed around the trunk, nearly popping out of their sockets. _Branch, branch, BRANCH_! By the time Regulus saw it, it was too late. He slammed belly first into a thick branch jutting out from the side of the trunk. Regulus groaned. _What a start to initiation._

 **Honestly, in the show, I was a bit disappointed with how there were hundreds of people before initiation, and they just seemed to magically disappear at initiation. Also, if Jaune was able to sneak into Beacon with fake transcripts, why couldn't others do the same? Jaune also got incredibly lucky that Pyrrha decided to pin him to a tree. Ugh, continuity errors and logic, the bane of my existence. Oh, can you guys guess what Regulus' book does and the connection it has with his pistol swords before I upload the next chapter? I'll actually be really impressed if someone does, but enough with my ramblings. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4: You’re Not From Around Here

**Authors Note:**

 **Ugh, I think we can all agree that tests suck. I was a bit busy, who am I kidding, I was really busy, so this chapter took longer than usual. I apologize for that. I also realized that I promised a reveal of how Regulus' book worked in the previous chapter, but I ended up finding a good stopping point for this chapter, so the grand reveal will be delayed a chapter or two. I so very sorry for that. Welp, the chapter is here. Without further ado, enjoy!**

Chapter 4

 **You're Not From Around Here**

Regulus extricated himself from the tree and dropped down to the forest floor. He rolled his shoulders experimentally. It stung a bit, but it was nothing his aura wouldn't take care of. Now to find his destined partner. _Oh Monty not like that._ Regulus mentally kicked himself, as he set off into the forest with the Beacon Cliffs at his back. _But what if…_ Regulus could almost see it happening. She would be holding off a pack of beowulfs singlehandedly, then he would burst out from the undergrowth to take one out that was about to sneak up on her, then she would take out a beowulf that was about to sneak up on him, then they would lock eyes, and… This time Regulus physically kicked himself, slamming his right foot into his left shin. _Focus_.

As Regulus ran through the woods, his mind drifted to who he might be partnered up with. There's Jaune, he's… well, Jaune. There's Ruby, she's pretty nice, and based on the video of the dust robbery, she definitely was a skilled fighter. There's Yang, she seems strong, but she's a bit… overbearing. There's Blake, she's not the most social, but she does like books. There's Pyrrha, she's definitely extremely talented. There's Ren, he's pretty calm and quiet. There's also his friend Nora. _They'd probably end up being paired up in one way or another._ There's Jaden, in their short interaction at the auditorium, he seemed like a pretty chill guy. Speaking of the auditorium, there's that girl with the massive war axe, she definitely strong if a little bit intimidating. Then there's Weiss. _Please anyone but Weiss._

Regulus was snapped out of his thought when he spotted a person ahead. The towering figure was wrapped in a worn and tattered red cloth, obscuring their head, and most of the person's body. _Who's that?_ Regulus probably would have remembered the stranger from the auditorium. After all, whoever that person was, they're not exactly the most inconspicuous. Picking up his pace, he ran towards the figure.

The stranger looked up turning towards Regulus as he approached. He sported a massive grey beard.

Regulus skidded to a stop. "You're not a student." Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he dropped into a fighting stance.

"How perceptive," the stranger responded in a dry raspy voice. His beard twitched slightly, the only indication of a smile from his obscured face.

"Who are you?" This guy was giving Regulus the creeps. He gripped his weapons tighter with his slightly damp palms.

"I believe the real question is, who are you Regulus?" the stranger replied cryptically, sending chills down Regulus' spine.

Regulus placed his finger on the trigger of his silver pistol. "How do you know my name?" He raised the gun to point at the stranger.

The figure tilted his head quizzically. "How threatening. Hmm… let's just say, you're not from around here."

"I'm not," admitted Regulus puzzled. Only his curiosity kept him from straight out shooting the man. "I'm from Patch."

"Oh are you?" The stranger chuckled, the red cloth shaking slightly. "Then how don't you know Ruby and Yang? There's only one village on Patch, and it's a rather close-knit community."

Regulus paused for a second, wracking his brain for any memory of the two sisters. The man spoke the truth; Patch was an extremely close-knit community. Somehow, he drew a blank. "I… don't know."

The mysterious man laughed again, his broad shoulders shaking. "Of course you don't." His body abruptly became eerily still. "Where are you really from?"

Regulus could feel unseen eyes, drilling a hole through him, and into the tree behind. "I… I…" He had no response. As far as his memory told, he was from Patch, but it made no logical sense. _Ozpin!_ Ozpin was sure to be seeing this. He would send help or something. This obviously wasn't part of initiation.

"Neither Ozpin, nor anyone else, except for you can see me." He took a step forward, crushing a branch underfoot. "Now answer the question." He towered over Regulus menacingly.

Regulus felt a bead of sweat slide down his back. "I-I don't know." He was being entirely honest. Regulus took a shaky step backwards.

The stranger was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, stepping back. "You don't pose too much of a threat to this story right now. I'll be back when you remember." With those parting words, he receded back into the forest, vanishing into thin air.

Regulus took a trembling breath. What the hell was that? He had so many questions. Who was the mysterious man? How did he know so much about me? Who am I? Regulus heard a low growling from behind. _Oh no._ His anxiety, confusion, and fear had likely attracted grimm.

Spinning around, he brought his right arm in a downwards slash. Regulus braced his left arm against his right and fired his pistol, using the recoil to enhance the swing. He bisected a beowulf that was leaping toward him. Transforming his right sword into a pistol, he quickly fired three shots with each pistol. Six more beowulfs dropped to the ground with a sizeable hole in their foreheads.

A rustling sounded in the bushes behind him. Transforming his weapon, Regulus swung his left weapon in a horizontal arc. In a streak of red, orange and black, a girl shot out of the underbrush. She grabbed Regulus by the wrist, and and pulled, her other hand winding back, fingers extended. Fingers that were reinforced by a set of red streaked metal claws. Her strike stopped just inches short of Regulus' left eye. Regulus breathed a sigh or relief. His aura would have shielded him from the blow, but he didn't like to take any chances. Especially when it came to the matter of his eyes.

Looking down, Regulus looked into the reddish orange eyes of his assailant. He grinned and cleared his throat. "Hello partner," he said dryly. Her eyes widened momentarily in embarrassment, as she quickly released his arm, and stepped back a couple paces. Regulus transformed his weapons back into pistol form, holstering them, and extended his hand. "Regulus."

The claws covering the girl's hands folded back into vambraces that covered her forearms. She shook Regulus' hand. "Ember."

 **Alrighty, that wraps up chapter 4 of RWBY Ink. Who is the mysterious man? Where is Regulus from? Why does he remember that he's from Patch? I hope you've enjoyed reading the story. If you have anything to say, and I do mean anything at all, please leave a review. I really want to see how people feel about this story, and how I can improve it. Once again, I am so sorry that the reveal for Regulus' book had to be delayed. This is Regulus Sterling, signing out.**


	5. Chapter 5: Why Bother?

**Author's Note:**

 **Alrighty, here's the long awaited Chapter 5 of RWBY Ink. I'm so sorry that it took so long, and it's so short, but things just sort of piled up I guess. Welp, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review. Seriously, anything at all. I haven't gotten a review since Chapter 2. Welp, without any further ado, enjoy!**

Chapter 5

 **Why Bother?**

"So… where are you from?" asked Regulus, attempting to make small talk. The pair had walked silently for the most part, only meeting a stray ursa or two.

"I'm from Mistral. My dad runs a forge," Ember replied. She looked straight ahead, idly trailing her claws against the bark of trees, leaving behind blackened claw marks. "You?"

"I'm from uh… Patch." Regulus winced internally. _Of all the things to talk about._ He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting the mysterious bearded man to pop out of the undergrowth. He was acutely aware of the feeling of eyes on his back. "My sister and I write for a living."

"Your parents…" Ember cut herself off, covering her mouth with her hands in regret. She turned to Regulus. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Regulus interrupted waving her off, "They died in a grimm attack when I was little. I barely remember them." Regulus wondered if they were actually real. His memories of his parents were hazy and indistinct at best. Something Regulus had attributed to the natural degradation of memories. _But..._ The encounter had casted so many doubts upon him.

A cacophony growls and barks snapped Regulus back into reality with a jolt. They were surrounded by grimm… again. _I really need to chill._ Regulus dropped his pistol swords to the ground, deciding they didn't match Ember's fighting style. Instead, he clipped on a pair of gold and silver, bladed greaves to his boots.

"Ready?" Regulus asked, turning around to face in the opposite direction of his partner.

"Where did you get those?" Ember looked adopted a short stance, nearly but not quite, bouncing on her toes.

"I-" Regulus' answer was cut short by a particularly brave, or stupid beowulf that decided to attack first. Leaning back, Regulus barely dodged the beowulf's initial swipe, and pivoted his front foot, sending a powerful, recoil enhanced, spin heel kick straight to the beowulf's head.

Ember dashed forwards, grabbing the wrist of another beowulf, and plunging a clawed hand deep into it's glowing red eye. The beowulf screamed in pain, but it wasn't dead. Raising it's free paw, it tried to claw the huntress in training. Then, it's head exploded in a burst of flames and scorched flesh. Unfazed by the close call, she paused momentarily to shake off bits of the dead grimm before plunging back into the fray.

Regulus audibly gulped, unconsciously touched his left eye. It was a good thing Ember had stopped in time. Dropping into a lower stance, Regulus bent his leg, chambering it and with it, a fresh cartridge, waiting for an ursa to rear up and expose it's unarmored underbelly. Extending his leg, he fired a slug straight into it's stomach, knocking it back into the horde. Regulus reloaded his weapons, readying himself for the onslaught of grimm headed his way.

Behind him, Regulus heard a high pitched whirring. _What was that?_ He turned his head to see what the source of the noise was, only to see a thin beam of red fly past his head, inches from his face, causing him to flinch backwards. The mass of grimm Regulus was facing were instantly vaporized by a massive explosion. Ember stood with one hand outstretched in a finger gun. Her index claw glowed red, giving off a thin trail of smoke, a satisfied smirk plastered across her face.

Regulus raised a finger to speak. "That was the second time you've nearly killed me… in the span of an hour," he said as a matter of factly. However, in reality, he was practically shaking in his boots.

The smirk instantly vanished from Ember's face, as it was replaced with a look of pure regret. "I-I'm sorry. My dad always yells at me for acting without thinking." She hung her head in shame.

Regulus took a deep breath. "It's fine," he said, patting her on the back.

She still looked downcast, as she looked to the floor. "But I nearly-"

"Like I said, it's fine," Regulus interjected with a smile. "You can't change the past, so why bother?" That seemed to cheer Ember up, as her posture improved.

She stretched her arms to the sky. "Thanks," she said over her shoulder as she walked forwards. "I'll make it up to you someh-"

Ember was suddenly cut off as she disappeared, seemingly falling into the earth. "Ember!" Regulus shouted, running forwards. He was greeted by the sight of a steep drop.

"I'm fine," said Ember from the bottom of the drop, as she gave Regulus a thumbs up.

Regulus jumped off, letting his aura absorb the impact. He landed in front of a dilapidated stone structure. A ring of pedestals formed a ring inside the structure, the smooth wood a stark contrast to the rough, weather-worn stone. "Well, it looks like we've found the shrine."


End file.
